Oatmeal Energy Bars with Fruits and Nuts

Snacks are an essential item in any household, yet I find that it can be difficult to get healthy snacks at the grocery store, as most of them are packed with preservatives to stay fresh on the shelf, and even the seemingly healthy ones often have a good ol' mix of "natural and artificial flavors." Determined to come up with something a bit better than that, I found this wonderful recipe for energy bars in The Joy of Cooking, and I would love to share it with you. 

Oatmeal Energy Bars with Fruits and Nuts

To start, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9x9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil and grease well (Pam spray makes this quick and easy).

Combine in a medium bowl:

• 1 cup old-fashioned oats

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar

• 1 1/2 cups packed dried fruit, chopped (this is a beautiful combination of plums, apple slices, apricots, and dates)

•  1/2 cup nuts, chopped (I'm using walnuts and slivered almonds)

• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 Stir until well blended:

Press the mixture into the baking dish. Bake until top is golden brown, 35-40 minutes. 

Love how it bubbles from all the delicious butter!

Very important: Cool in the pan on a rack for about 1 hour. Without the proper cooling time, these can be very difficult to cut, as they are super oober gooey. Plus, cutting too early can sometimes cause aluminum foil stickage, which is not so snackable. Once thoroughly cooled, cut in half and then into bars, totaling 12 bars.

Here's a side view, where you can see all of the jam-packed goodness. These are one-zillion times better than the kind you buy individually wrapped at the store - and better yet they're all natural!

One of the best things about this recipe is that it can be easily kept frozen and thaws quickly so it's ready to eat fast! To freeze, simply line layers of energy bars with wax paper in a freezer-safe container.

As always, this recipe is tried and true from my kitchen to yours,
Kimberly
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oatmeal Energy Bars with Fruits and Nuts                          Serving size: 12 bars

Recipe by: Kimberly Meyers

Adapted from: The Joy of Cooking

www.jandkalways.blogspot.com

As always, this recipe is tried and true from my kitchen to yours.

(The Printable)

Ingredients:

1 cup old-fashioned oats

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 1/2 cups packed dried fruit, chopped (apricots, pitted dates, raisins, figs, cherries, cranberries, and/or plums)

1/2 cup nuts, chopped (walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, and/or almonds)

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 8x8-inch square baking dish with aluminum foil and grease well (Pam spray works well). Combine in a medium bowl oats, flour, brown sugar, fruit, nuts, salt, and cinnamon. Add butter and vanilla and stir until well blended. Press the mixture into the pan. Bake until top is golden brown, 35-40 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack for at least 1 hour. Once thoroughly cooled, cut in half then into 12 bars. To freeze: line layers of energy bars with wax paper in a freezer-safe container.